Movie · 2015 · Horror, Mystery · 1h 41m · R · English
Curator score: 5.5/10 (1.1M ratings)
It doesn't think. It doesn't feel. It doesn't give up.
Overview
A young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.5/10
IMDb: 6.8/10
Letterboxd: 3.42/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Metacritic: 83
TMDB: 6.6/10
Director
David Robert Mitchell
Production
Two Flints, Northern Lights Films, Animal Kingdom
Cast
Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, Lili Sepe, Bailey Spry, Carollette Phillips, Loren Bass, Charles Gertner, Debbie Williams, Ruby Harris, Leisa Pulido, D.J. Oliver, Linda Boston, Ingrid Mortimer, Kourtney Bell, Alexyss Spradlin, Mike Lanier, Claire Sloma
Where to watch
Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A smart, unnerving modern horror film with a killer premise, strong atmosphere, and one of the decade’s most memorable synth scores. Its mythology is deliberately slippery, which some viewers find frustrating, but the dread, style, and emotional unease are the point.
Best for
viewers who like slow-burn horror with a strong concept
fans of eerie synth-heavy soundtracks and dreamlike visuals
people drawn to metaphorical horror about sex, vulnerability, and paranoia
audiences who prefer atmosphere and tension over gore and jump scares
Skip if
you need airtight rules and fully explained mythology
you dislike ambiguous endings and symbolic storytelling
you want fast-paced, constantly escalating horror
you are put off by horror rooted in teen sexuality and awkward social dynamics
Overview
It Follows turns a simple supernatural setup into a creeping nightmare of vulnerability and inevitability. The film’s genius is how it makes ordinary spaces feel exposed: sidewalks, school halls, backyards, and empty streets all become places where danger can appear at a walking pace and still feel inescapable.
Worth noting
David Robert Mitchell stages the fear with remarkable restraint. Instead of relying on constant shocks, he lets the premise do the work, then surrounds it with a chilly, retro-leaning visual language and a synth score that feels like a pulse you can’t outrun. The result is less about lore than about pressure, shame, and the way anxiety can attach itself to the body.
Bottom line
Some viewers bounce off the deliberately vague mythology, and the film is more interested in mood than explanation. But if you’re open to horror that behaves like a bad dream with rules you only half understand, this is one of the most distinctive genre films of its era.
Top Letterboxd reviews
ava adore (5★) · 13402 likes
U KNOW WHAT?? I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK THAT SEASHELL READER IS AND IT'S REALLY PISSING ME OFF!!!
Vitória (4.5★) · 6903 likes
Sex? Cancelled.
•lily• (4★) · 6817 likes
i really liked the part where it followed them
Robert Franco · 6288 likes
i found it very amusing when her friend got upset that she passed the sexually transmitted demon to a different guy and not to him. that was one of the most hilariously realistic depictions of a sexually frustrated high schooler i’ve ever seen.
tobias (: (4.5★) · 5823 likes
perfect horror in that it combines my two greatest fears- sex, and being approached